Questys Document Management System Gains iSeries File Support

by Alex Woodie

In another example of the importance of cross-platform benefits, companies can now pull up iSeries documents and reports from Questys Solutions' Windows-based document management and imaging software. The new capability to use the OS/400 platform as a file storage server results from a technology partnership that Questys formed with inFORM Decisions, a developer of native OS/400 document management systems.

Questys Solutions is a Southern California company that has been developing PC-based document management and imaging systems since 1980. Today, its products, including Questys Pro and Questys Enterprise that have been retrofitted for iSeries connectivity, run on Microsoft Windows operating systems and use the SQL Server and Oracle databases.

The Questys document management products make it easier for people to find, view, and distribute a variety of types of documents. As part of a scanning solution complete with optical character recognition (OCR) technology, the Questys software can be used to replace (or augment) paper-based archives with digital archives. The software can also pull electronic files and e-mail into its archive.

The true power of any document management system is its indexing capability. By associating a keyword or keywords with a document upon entering it into the system, and then creating indexes based on those definitions, enables users to quickly find and pull up the right document, instead of searching aimlessly through piles of documents. Questys Pro Web enables users to access their documents anywhere, through a Web browser, while other add-on modules enable users to output the documents to printers, e-mail, fax, and to CDs (for creating backups).

As a result of the work inFORM Decisions has done to connect its iSpool module with the Questys software, documents stored on an iSeries can now be accessed through Questys, using that program's commands. Addition capabilities include: single-command report routing for printers connected to heterogeneous systems; report-moving capabilities between LPARs; Internet distribution; print-sharing capabilities; and automated routing of reports to remote systems based on control-table routing instructions. Supported report formats include IPDS, AFP, PCL, and ASCI. The integration was completed using standard APIs, inFORM says.

inFORM says there are several advantages to using the iSeries to archive documents, as part of a Questys Pro implementation. First, its "vast disk capacity" can help to free up disk space on multiple, smaller, and decentralized Windows-based systems. Security and the capability to handle multiple workloads were also cited.

The integration work between inFORM's iSpool module and the Questys solution is finished, inFORM says. Pricing for Questys Pro starts at around $1,500, according to the company.

inFORM says it plans to sell its iSpool module as a separate product, and is also offering it to other document management vendors through its Collaborative Services Group initiative, which it launched earlier this year. "There are tremendous growth opportunities for vendors who can cross operating boundaries and provide forms management solutions that use the best platform for a given task," says Dan Forster, president of inFORM Decisions.